4118_Sveta

4118 Sveta

4118 Sveta

Asteroid


4118 Sveta, or by provisional designation, 1982 TH3, is an Eoan asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers (8.1 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 15 October 1982, by Russian astronomer Lyudmila Zhuravleva at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij, on the Crimean peninsula. The asteroid was named after Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya.[1]

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Orbit and classification

Sveta is a member the Eos family (606),[3] the largest asteroid family of the outer main belt consisting of nearly 10,000 asteroids.[5] It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.3 AU once every 5 years and 3 months (1,916 days; semi-major axis of 3.02 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]

The body's observation arc begins with its observation as 1950 PQ at Goethe Link Observatory in August 1954, more than 28 years prior to its official discovery observation at Nauchnij.[1]

Physical characteristics

No spectral type has been determined for Sveta. Members of the Eos family are typically K-type asteroids.[5]:23

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Sveta measures 13.232 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.192.[4]

Rotation period

As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Sveta has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.[2]

Naming

This minor planet was named after Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya (born 1948) who, in 1982, became the second woman after Valentina Tereshkova to fly in space, and in 1984 became the first woman to walk in space. Savitskaya has also been a champion of the 1970-FAI World Aerobatic Championships, a competition in sport aviation.[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 September 1993 (M.P.C. 22500).[6] The asteroid 4303 Savitskij was named after her father Yevgeniy Savitskiy (1910–1990), a Hero of the Soviet Union and himself an aviator and fighter ace during the second World War.[7]


References

  1. "4118 Sveta (1982 TH3)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  2. "Asteroid 4118 Sveta – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  3. Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68.
  4. Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). "Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families". Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv:1502.01628. Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 9780816532131.
  5. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  6. "4303 Savitskij (1973 SZ3)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 April 2018.

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